Conversion of carbon dioxide to higher value chemicals

Abstract

A method for the production of value added chemicals comprising: introducing carbon dioxide to a system comprising an electrochemical cell comprising a carbon dioxide reducing catalyst and an electrolyte under conditions suitable for conversion of carbon dioxide to one or more C 2 compounds; introducing at least a portion of the one or more C 2 compounds to a second system comprising a microbe and a media under conditions suitable for conversion of the C 2 compounds to one or more C 2+n compounds where n is from about 1 to about 100. A method of preparing value added chemicals comprising: a means for converting carbon dioxide to one or more C 2 compounds and a microbe wherein the C 2 compound is contacted with the microbe under conditions suitable for the formation of one or more C 2+n compounds.

1 . A method for the production of value added chemicals, the method comprising:
 introducing carbon dioxide to a system comprising an electrochemical cell comprising a carbon dioxide reducing catalyst and an electrolyte under conditions suitable for conversion of carbon dioxide to one or more C 2  compounds;   introducing at least a portion of the one or more C 2  compounds to a second system comprising a microbe and a media under conditions suitable for conversion of the C 2  compounds to one or more C 2+n  compounds where n is from about 1 to about 100.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more C 2  compounds comprise ethylene (C 2 H 4 ), ethanol (CH 3 CH 2 OH), acetate (C 2 H 2 O 2   − ), ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the C 2  compound comprises ethanol, acetate or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises Ag, Au, Cu, Zn or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises a support material. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the support material is porous. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises a supported copper catalyst. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises a nanoporous Cu-M catalyst M is a metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ir, Pd, Ag, Au, Rh, Ru, Zn, Sn, Ni, Fe, Re, Ga, In, Cd, TI, Ti, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the media and electrolyte are compositionally the same. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the microbe is a wildtype strain. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the microbe is a mutant strain. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more C 2+n  compounds is selected from the group consisting of polymers, fuels, lipids, light olefins, gluconic acid, lactic acid, malonic acid, propionic acid, triacids, citric acid, aconitic acid, xylonic acid, acetoin, furfural, levoglucosan, lysine, serine, threonine, 1,4 succinic, fumaric acid, malic acid, 2,5 furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glucaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid levulinic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, glycerol, sorbitol, xylitol, arabinitol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, ferulic acid, terpenoids, polyketides, carotenoids, polyphenols, alkaloids and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more C 2+n  compounds comprise lipids. 
     
     
         14 . A method of preparing value added chemicals, the method comprising:
 a means for converting carbon dioxide to one or more C 2  compounds and   a microbe wherein the C 2  compound is contacted with the microbe under conditions suitable for the formation of one or more C 2+n  compounds.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the means for converting carbon dioxide to one or more C 2  compounds is an electrochemical cell comprising a nanoporous Cu-M catalyst where M is a metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ir, Pd, Ag, Au, Rh, Ru, Zn, Sn, Ni, Fe, Re, Ga, In, Cd, TI, Ti and combinations. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the C 2  compound comprises ethanol, acetate or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the microbe comprises a bacteria. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the microbe is mutated. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more C 2+n  compounds is selected from the group consisting of polymers, fuels, lipids, light olefins, gluconic acid, lactic acid, malonic acid, propionic acid, triacids, citric acid, aconitic acid, xylonic acid, acetoin, furfural, levoglucosan, lysine, serine, threonine, 1,4 succinic, fumaric acid, malic acid, 2,5 furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glucaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid levulinic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, glycerol, sorbitol, xylitol, arabinitol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, ferulic acid, terpenoids, polyketides, carotenoids, polyphenols, alkaloids and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more C 2+n  compounds comprise lipids.